Oakland Raiders: The Highs and Lows Following Oakland's Loss to Houston

The Raiders suffered another tough loss against the Texans on Sunday and are now 1-3 for the season. Though it may not feel like it to the Raider Nation, this 1-3 team is much better than last years 1-3 team.

Last season the Raiders weren't in many of their games and didn't look like a team that could compete every week.

This team is putting up better offensive numbers and has had their opportunities to win games late. Now that the Raiders are improving and looking like a team, they must learn how to win and minimize mistakes.

There were a lot of high's and lows during the game, let's take a look at some of those now.

The Low: Bruce Gradkowski Showed Us What He Lacks

Bruce Gradkowski has been a breath of fresh air for the Raiders. The Raiders are moving the ball well with him under center, but they still aren't winning games.

He's completed 52 of his 95 passes and has four touchdowns and four interceptions.

Not exactly the type of numbers you need from your quarterback to win games. I know those numbers are not all his fault, but they must get better.

He's also made a lot of crucial mistakes as well in the last two games. The Raiders were one yard away from scoring against Arizona and let the play clock run out. Gradkowski admitted he should of called a timeout instead of trying to run the play to get a TD on a QB sneak.

He also refuses to slide which could cause him to take big hits. While it may show his toughness it also shows he isn't very smart. He almost got taken out of the game by a couple of big hits from the Texans defense.

He appeared to hurt his throwing arm and went in to the locker room. His toughness made him want to stay in the game, but he threw an interception on the next drive. It appeared that his arm didn't let him make the throw, ande may have been better off taking a drive off instead of throwing a pick.

He also held on to the ball too long late in the second half and fumbled the ball when the Raiders were in field goal range. He also got flagged for intentional grounding on the final drive that put the Raiders in a tough position.

Those mistakes must be avoided if you want to be a long term starter in this league.

The High: The Passing Game Is Getting Better

Zach Miller showed the world why he is a pro bowl caliber tight end. He caught 11 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown in the loss to Houston.

Darren McFadden also showed how valuable he is in the passing game on Sunday. He caught six passes for 82 yards in only 2 and a half quarters of work.

Gradkowski led the league in yards per pass attempt prior to the game. If the Raiders can get better blocking from the offensive line the Raiders passing game could become a strength as opposed to a weakness like it has been in previous years.

The Low: Wide Receivers Still Aren't Consistent.

The Raiders receivers are still very young and are in the developmental process. Chaz Schilens is still out with an injury so the Raiders could have a very formidable passing game this year.

This week the Raiders receivers weren't much of a factor. As a matter of fact, they dropped the ball on a comeback attempt. Literally.

Louis Murphy had the first down on a fourth and 16 attempt but he dropped it. That is a tough break for Murphy who has been doing great all season. He's been targeted over 20 times and caught 15 of those. None of the misses have been drops until now.

The Raiders receivers were only targeted five times during the first half. Darrius Heyward-Bey seems to make an impact when he draws penalties more than when he catches a ball.

The Raiders haven't had a receiver lead their team in receptions for a long time. That must change if the Raiders want to win.